This definitely tracks on a personal level (though I’ve never been diagnosed with depression and never tried meds) - if I get outside and do something - almost anything - I feel 100% better.
It’s almost like humans didn’t evolve to sit inside and stare at a box for all of the daylight hours.
Honestly, though, if your circadian rhythm is off due to depression, an unplugged camping trip can help reset it. The natural day/night cycles and all.
I don’t want to diminish the experiences of those with legit chemical imbalances that modern chemistry can do wonders for. The closest I’ve had to something like that is maybe SAD in the winter months of locations that have less sunshine.
This is not about that. But I do think quite a bit of medication is about making people functional under a very dysfunctional system/environment.
If someone is feeling depressed because of being mostly inside, working long hours and/or more than one job, shoveling in poor substitutes for food, but high in caloric content, between one obligation or the other, and having sleep disrupted by doomscrolling late at night, stressed out about how to make ends meet, well, it’s no wonder, honestly. Trying to reverse that is no small task.
This definitely tracks on a personal level (though I’ve never been diagnosed with depression and never tried meds) - if I get outside and do something - almost anything - I feel 100% better.
It’s almost like humans didn’t evolve to sit inside and stare at a box for all of the daylight hours.
Honestly, though, if your circadian rhythm is off due to depression, an unplugged camping trip can help reset it. The natural day/night cycles and all.
I don’t want to diminish the experiences of those with legit chemical imbalances that modern chemistry can do wonders for. The closest I’ve had to something like that is maybe SAD in the winter months of locations that have less sunshine.
This is not about that. But I do think quite a bit of medication is about making people functional under a very dysfunctional system/environment.
If someone is feeling depressed because of being mostly inside, working long hours and/or more than one job, shoveling in poor substitutes for food, but high in caloric content, between one obligation or the other, and having sleep disrupted by doomscrolling late at night, stressed out about how to make ends meet, well, it’s no wonder, honestly. Trying to reverse that is no small task.